Adrienne's Pink Piggy Bank

For her birthday Adrienne got this pink piggy bank that makes a magical sound! You're supposed to put money in it, but we're in a recession, so we just keep putting the same piece of paper in the coin slot. She loves it anyway.

Adrienne's First Birthday Party

September has been a pretty celebratory month, so what better way to end it than with a huge (and we mean huge) birthday party? With a Hawaiian theme, we made sure to have plenty of Spam-etizers and aloha to go around.

If you've every survived through a kid's birthday party, you know that we're waaaay too tired for witty commentary, so just look at the pictures. Slideshow of all the action is also below.

There was cake.

We blew out the candles.

Adrienne took a ride on Uncle Jeff.

She even enjoyed hanging out in the baby octagon.

And practiced standing up.

She played with friends like Jeremy.

Parents stood around.

There was an inflatable pool. It was a big hit with everyone (not just the b-day girl).

Adrienne Goes Brit-Pop-Hip-Hop

Her hair says "I front Oasis" but her pants say "Why you frontin'"

Hot Times in Palm Springs

So we went to a wedding in Palm Springs...

This one. It was great and cool and beautiful and all of that.

Not much to say, except that the pool at the Montage has ruined all other hotel pools for us. Adrienne's babysitter was awesome and we wished she lived in L.A., and Adrienne enjoyed the once-hip Palm Springsy style of the room...

...especially the mirrors--her favorite thing to look at.

Oh, and Adrienne wanted room service--badly.

Birthday Girl

An account of Adrienne's first birthday...

Woke up happy as can be, ready for gifts and good times.

Played with mom at the local coffee shop...

Got some new dolls...

Practiced standing...

Sat on her new car thingy before the wheels were put on...

...all in the day's work for a baby.

Stand and Deliver

While resorting, Adrienne nearly perfected the art of standing up. Thankfully, there was a full diaper and soft bedding to catch her bum on the way down.

Then when we got home, she totally perfected the fully-evolved upright standing thing. Now, every baby blog needs a video of this momentous occasion. But what music to put to it?

R.E.M., "Stand" - Too predictable.

The Beatles, "I Saw Her Standing There" - Sweet but not totally right.

Bob Marley, "Get Up, Stand Up" - Yeah, but too slow for this exciting moment.

Elton John, "I'm Still Standing" - Fun, but it's basically an f-u song. So no.

Adam Ant, "Stand and Deliver" - Perfect. Just the right amount of edge for this baby.

Adrienne Goes Resorting

So we got to go on this fancy trip to a sweet resort called the Montage in Laguna Beach. It was Adrienne's first time to really live it up, and, boy did she. Her parents didn't mind it so much either. Some highlights that we remembered to photograph:

Adrienne agrees that complimentary champagne is always nice. (Hint: always tell hotels that it's your anniversary, they love giving you stuff. We didn't have to lie in this case, but we're gonna in the future.)

Adrienne enjoys the high thread count sheets and bounciness of the bed.

Some fine dining outside.

No babies, here, but room service is always a good thing.

The family on the beach.

Taking a morning walk/carry.

We even had a private cabana for a long, relaxing day at the pool. Here's the view from that.

Of course, Adrienne took full advantage of that luxury...by sleeping through most of it.

Adrienne Gets Pigtails

At her daycare, somehow, they got Adrienne's hair into pigtails. It's certainly a first. We had no idea how they did it, given her reaction when we tried to take them out.

Needless to say, we think they're super-cute, even if they look like little horns in certain light.